Dan Quayle on Government Reform

Vice President of the U.S., 1989-1993; Former Republican Senator (IN)

Over-litigiousness hurts American competitiveness

It’s only logical: too much government regulation breeds too many lawyers. More important, they produce a society whose members are too quick to sue one another, without considering the costs to American productivity.

My interest in product liability
reform went back to my first days in Congress, and by the time I was halfway through my vice-presidency the situation was even worse. Product liability, by 1991, was costing American firms 15 times what it was costing their foreign competitors, and the
worst cost of all was a loss of jobs.

We have become a crazily litigious country. We now sue first and ask questions later. The system-and the mind-set-are inefficient and anticompetitive. By not paying the huge legal costs their US counterparts are
bearing year after year, foreign companies have a tremendous advantage. American businesses and individuals spend more than $80 billion annually on the direct costs of litigation and higher insurance premiums, and $300 billion including [indirect costs].

For term limits; cut Congressional benefits after 12 years

Quayle advocates voluntary term limits in Congress. He said that once elected, lawmakers get closer to lobbyists and to Washington, at the expense of their constituents. To discourage career politicians, Quayle said he would favor cutting free health
care and additional retirement benefits for lawmakers serving more than 12 years.

Source: Politics 2000, Associated Press
, Jul 31, 1999

Reduce cabinet to 8-12 depts, save billions

The federal government could be reorganized from 16 Cabinet departments to perhaps 12 or eight, he said, with a saving of “billions” of dollars.

Source: Reuters News Service
, Jul 2, 1999

Big Government has grown bigger under Clinton-Gore

Dan Quayle believes that we need to resurrect Ronald Reagan’s vision of government that will ‘stand by our side, not ride on our back.’ He believes that the federal government taxes too much, spends too much, regulates too much, and interferes too much
in the daily lives of the American people. Despite promising that “the era of Big Government is over,” the Clinton-Gore team has increased the tax and regulatory burden on the American people.

Source: www.quayle2000.com/ “Less Government”, 5/19/99
, May 19, 1999

Cut Cabinet, federal agencies, and regulations

We can eliminate needless government agencies, reduce overlapping jurisdictions, and sell-off federal inventories. We can cut the number of Cabinet departments in half, divesting them of non-core functions and privatizing [some] services. We can ease
regulatory restrictions while promoting voluntary standards and enforcement mechanisms for various industries. We must bring government back to the level at which it is most responsive and most efficient: the community.

Source: www.quayle2000.com/ “Less Government”, 5/19/99
, May 19, 1999

Appoint judges who won’t push a political agenda

The most enduring presidential legacy is in the federal courts. We can win debates, we can achieve legislative victories, and we can succeed in citizen initiatives-but it will all be in vain if we have judges who step in and substitute their political
agenda for the wisdom of the people. The most important qualification for the federal bench [should be] whether they are well qualified, show respect for the Constitution, and appreciate the indispensable role of religion and morality in our society.

Source: Speech to the Commonwealth Club of California
, May 19, 1999

Replace ‘Legal Aristocracy’ with pro-morality judges

“I want to focus on a sector of our society that has been largely exempt from the discussion and must be part of our effort to reverse the cultural decline: the legal system, and, specifically, the legal aristocracy,” Quayle said. “Values matter most.”
He promised, if elected, to nominate federal judges who “appreciate the indispensable role of religion and morality in our society’ and said such cultural shifts are the key to preventing problems like school shootings.”

Source: CNN.com coverage: AllPolitics
, May 19, 1999

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